1. John's very first memory was standing on the couch in his grandparent's home in Springdale, PA. He was looking out of the big picture window and watching a parade. The band was wearing tall hats and capes which were fluttering in the breeze.
2. He never liked his middle name “Laird”. When he was a teenager, he came up with the bright idea of changing it to “Lee”. His Mom put a stop to that really fast.
3. His favorite color was blue.
4. His favorite song: “Hotel California “. He couldn’t listen to it without playing air guitar.
5. John turned into an excited little boy when it came to fireworks. The next time you see a fireworks display, please think of him.
6. He grew up in a little house at 721 Stanley Ave in Springdale, PA. His parents loved him and gave him a wonderful childhood. Bill and Betty Miller raised a kind, loving, and compassionate son.
7. His favorite TV show was M*A*S*H*.
8.For John, it just wasn’t Christmas without a box of Sarris milk chocolate covered cherries.
9.As a little boy, he had an imaginary best friend named Jimmy. Eventually, he outgrew him, but never forgot him.
10.It always drove me crazy that he would pour the milk on his bowl of cereal, and then WALK AWAY. Ideally, a person has about 90 seconds of optimum crunch factor. But, John could wait a good 5-10 minutes before digging in, and still enjoy it soggy. Madness.
11.He would rub the top of his head if he was nervous, or unsure of himself.
12.His mother packed him a lunch every day while he attended elementary school; a thermos of milk and a bologna sandwich on white bread with ketchup. The kids would keep their lunchboxes in the cloak room until lunchtime. John’s lunchbox had Hopalong Cassidy on it, his favorite cowboy. By the time he got to eat, the milk was warm and the ketchup made the bread soggy. He longed for a different lunch, but never told his Mom because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
13.He absolutely loved cowboys! His Mom once bought him a western themed shirt, and he wore it constantly, even had his school photo taken in it.
14.Every time I worked a shift at Target, I asked what he wanted me to bring him home for a treat. Most times, he would say “Just you, Babe”. But, whenever he would ask for something it was always either: blueberry muffins , Ben & Jerry’s, 3 Musketeers, or Reese’s peanut butter cups. During the past 11 years, those were always his favorites.
15.John never paid attention to expiration dates on canned goods because of his time in the Navy. While he served our country in the 1960’s, the U.S. government was feeding my sailor tinned rations from the 1940’s. John insisted everything was perfectly fine. Plus, the war world II rations always included 2 cigarettes with every meal (and, they tasted fine, also).
16.He was a very intelligent man, but was the world’s worst speller.
17.John played the tuba in his high school marching band.
18.The ending of “Field of Dreams “ always made him cry because it reminded him of playing catch with his dad.
19.His favorite dessert was pineapple upside down cake, with pumpkin pie and Dutch apple pie tying for a close second.
20.He absolutely loved to visit Gettysburg, and felt a strong connection to it.
21.He was the store manager for Hanover shoes in the late 1960’s, early 1970’s. First at the store on Fifth Avenue in McKeesport, then at Monroeville Mall. He took a correspondence course during that time to become a mechanical draftsman at Carbidie in Irwin, PA.
John and his Mom in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s, I’m guessing.
